Vermont Lake Monsters

MiLB infobox
name = Vermont Lake Monsters
founded = 1994
city = Burlington, Vermont
misc =

uniform
class level = A
past class level=
current league = New York - Penn League
conference =
division = Stedler Division
past league =
majorleague = Washington Nationals (2005-present)
* Montreal Expos (1994-2004)
pastmajorleague =
uniform =
nickname = Vermont Lake Monsters (2006-present)
* Vermont Expos (1994-2006)
* Jamestown Expos
pastnames =
ballpark = Centennial Field (1994-present)
pastparks =
leaguechamps = 1996
divisionchamps = 1995,1996
misc6 =
owner = Ray Pecor, Jr.
manager = Ramon Aviles
gm = CJ Knudsen

The Vermont Lake Monsters are a Short-Season A classification minor league baseball team in Burlington, Vermont, USA. The team, a member of the short-season New York-Penn League, plays its home games at Centennial Field on the University of Vermont campus. The team was located in Jamestown, New York (as the Jamestown Expos) prior to 1994, and has always been an Expos/Nationals affiliate.

The team was considering a name change from their name of the Vermont Expos for the 2005 season, as its major-league parent, the Montreal Expos, had moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. However, because Minor League Baseball only gives clubs 60 days after the end of the season to change names and logos, the club did not have enough time for a name change.

The Expos held a contest to find a new name and identity for the team for the 2006 season. They were looking for something unique, to reflect Vermont, as opposed to the Nationals, in case the team were to change its major-league affiliation. At the end of the contest, they received 30,000 entries. In November, 2005, the team completed the process of changing their name over. The chosen name is a reference to Champ, the legendary Lake Champlain monster.

On August 16, 2005 the then-Expos were featured on ESPN "SportsCenter" as a part of the program's "50 States in 50 Days" segment on Vermont.

Notable Alumni

*flagicon|USA Geoff Blum (1994, Houston Astros)
*flagicon|COL Orlando Cabrera (1995, Chicago White Sox)
*flagicon|USA Michael Barrett (1995, San Diego Padres)
*flagicon|USA Milton Bradley (1997, Texas Rangers)
*flagicon|VEN Jorge Julio (1998, Atlanta Braves)
*flagicon|CAN Jason Bay (2000, Boston Red Sox)
*flagicon|USA Brandon Watson (2000, AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs; set the Minor League Baseball hit-streak record of 43 games in 2007)
*flagicon|USA Brian Anderson (2002, AA Connecticut Defenders)
*flagicon|USA Jason Bergmann (2002)
*flagicon|USA Darrell Rasner (2002, New York Yankees)
*flagicon|USA Jerry Owens (2003, AAA Charlotte Knights; only played two games with team)
*flagicon|USA John Lannan (2005)

External links

* [http://www.vermontlakemonsters.com Official website]
* [http://lakemonstersblog.spaces.msn.com/ Burlington's Premier Lake Monsters Blog]